The curse of the home team is a recent phenomenon and a symptom of the "Geisterspiele" (ghost games) era that the Bundesliga has opted for. Put aside for a moment the fan culture that makes German football so special or theimportant role clubs play in their communities, the presence of fans in the stadium can help turn defeats into ties, and ties into wins. … [Read more...] about Bundesliga: ‘Ghost games’ have killed home advantage

Professional tennis, which had been on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, has resumed in Germany – but in a very limited way. Yannick Hanfmann beat Dustin Brown 4-3 (7-4), 4-0 in a battle of the two top players at an exhibition tournament in the western town of Höhr-Grenzhausen on Saturday. The four-day event, which began on Friday, is being held without fans due to health regulations in force to combat the spread of coronavirus. Only the two players and the umpire are allowed on the court for the matches, which have been shortened to a maximum of seven games. … [Read more...] about Coronavirus and sports: F1 to return in July

Germany may still have done so but for an excellent save from David Seaman to keep out Jörg Böhme’s low drive as the game entered stoppage time. Moments later England won a free-kick near the right-hand corner flag, from which Beckham’s cross was headed back into the path of Steven Gerrard, who with the last kick of the half slammed a low shot into the corner of the net from 25 yards. “I remember us getting a set piece, it was cleared, got put back in and was cleared out,” Gerrard said. “I remember thinking to myself: ‘Just get a good touch on it, try and set it for a strike on goal.’ My touch was perfect for once and I got fantastic contact – the pitch was wet and I put enough power on it to slide past a top keeper in Oliver Kahn.” … [Read more...] about Germany 1-5 England: 15 years on World Cup qualifier is still music to ears of many